The flight personnel of Su-30SM, MiG-31BM fighters, Su-34 and Su-24M bombers drilled the most complex element of flight training. The training was performed singly and in pairs.

The flights took place at airfields in Lipetsk and Nizhny Novgorod regions by day and at night.

In-flight refuelling took place at altitudes of 5,000-6,000 metres at a speed of about 600 km/h at distances of less than 20 metres between attack aircraft and air Il-78 tankers.

In-flight refuelling is a necessary element in training of fighter jets and bombers’ pilots, which makes it possible to significantly increase the combat range of the attack aircraft and to perform tasks for the intended purposes at large distances.